Hemlock

Conium maculatum

family

Apiaceae

origin

Exotic

declaration

NIL

NIL

For information only

Common names

Bunk, California fern, Carrot fern, Fools parsley, Hemlock, Poison fool's parsley, Poison hemlock, Poison parsley, Poison root, Snake weed, Spotted hemlock, Spotted parsley, Wild carrot, Wild parsnip, Winter fern, Wode whistle.

An upright and short-lived herbaceous plant usually growing 1-2 m tall with stems covered in distinctive purplish blotches. Its stems are also hollow, hairless and have fine lengthwise grooves. Its stems and leaves give off a strong odour when crushed or damaged. Its leaves are large, deeply-divided, and ferny in appearance and their stalks tend to sheath the stems at their bases. Its small white flowers (2-4 mm across) are produced in large dense flat-topped clusters at the tips of the branches. Its small greyish-brown fruit separate into two prominently ribbed 'seeds' (2-4 mm long) when mature.

Leaf arrangement:Simple
Leaf form:Alternate
White
Green
48BFB2B5-D573-4E91-B7A1-0B51D3FF42E9Discoloured

Impact

Impact

Hemlock (Conium maculatum) is regarded as an environmental weed in Victoria, the ACT, South Australia and Tasmania. It is primarily a weed of disturbed sites, often being found near stockyards, in waste areas and along roadsides. As an environmental weed it is mainly a problem in wetlands and along waterways (i.e. in riparian vegetation), although it has also invaded lowland grasslands and grassy woodlands and warm temperate rainforests in Victoria.

Location

Location

Characteristics

Characteristics

Similar Species

Similar Species

Control Methods